Have you ever considered God’s design for this world and for us? There is the tendency to think selfishly whenever the subject of God’s will comes up (as in, “what is God’s will for my life?) but let’s think bigger for a moment. What is God’s master plan for planet earth and for the human race?
Certainly, if we’ve studied the bible, we should know that God desires all men to come to salvation (1 Timothy 2:4) and that God created the earth and everything on it to provide for the needs of mankind and to point to Him as the creator of all. (Romans 1:19-20) Within this sphere of creation, God ordered the times and seasons and marked out the days available to every person who would ever walk and live on planet earth. (Psalm 139:16)
The first man and woman created by God, Adam and Eve, knew God personally and from a study of the book of Genesis we can safely assume that God was in the habit of walking and talking with them in Garden of Eden on a regular basis. (Here’s a great commentary and reference using Genesis 3:8) What’s important to note is that in the beginning, there was nothing to separate man from knowing God and that man was created to be a close companion to God.
Then came Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey God and with that choice, Sin entered the world. With Sin, all of creation was cursed (Romans 8:20-21) and as a result of Sin, man was eternally separated from God and the close relationship and companionship that God intended for man was no longer possible.
To overcome Sin’s effects and provide a way for man to once again enter into an eternal relationship with Him, God paid our Sin debt through the perfect life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ who was God in the flesh. All that God requires is for man to acknowledge and confess his sin, accept Jesus as the savior of his soul and then help and encourage others to do likewise.
Making this personal, God chooses to involve us in His master plan. God does not need us to accomplish his will (Isaiah 55:11) but his desire is that we be intimately involved in his work here on earth and he blesses and celebrates those who choose to do so. (Isaiah 52:7) Quite simply, God oversees the work, God plans and empowers the work, we get to be on the front lines in performing the work.
When we view ourselves and our lives within this framework, it can help us simplify and focus in on that which really matters. While there are innumerable ways we can choose to occupy ourselves and spend the hours that God has given us, precious few of them have eternal significance. Primarily, do we have that close, personal relationship with God? Have we accepted Jesus as our savior and do we love him as Lord of our lives? And if so, have we decided to be a part of God’s amazing plan to see that all mankind comes to a saving knowledge of God through Jesus?